1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and, more particularly, to a refrigerator having a basket lift device.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with a related art and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a lower region of the refrigerator showing a state that a basket is received in a main body.
A related art refrigerator includes a main body 102 having a front side opened and a receiving space, an upper refrigerating chamber 106 disposed at an upper portion of the main body 102, having a pair of upper doors 104 opened/closed in both directions and keeping refrigerated food items, and a lower refrigerating chamber 112 disposed at a lower portion of the main body 102, partitioned from the upper refrigerating chamber 106 by a barrier wall 108 and having a lower door 110 slidably opened.
A mechanic chamber 116 having a compressor 114 for generating cooling air supplied to the upper refrigerating chamber 106 and the lower refrigerating chamber 112, or the like, is installed at a rear side of the main body 102.
A basket 120 in which food items are received is slidably disposed in an inward/outward direction, and the lower door 110 is fixed at a front side of the basket 120. When the lower door 110 is pulled out, the basket 120 is opened, and when the lower door 110 is pushed in, the basket 120 is closed. In this case, a guide rail 124 is installed between the basket 120 and an inner surface of the lower refrigerating chamber 112 to guide the basket 120 to be slidably moved in the inward/outward direction.
One or more drawers 126 for keeping food items are provided at an upper side of the basket 120 and opened slidably.
The related art refrigerator is constructed such that when the lower door 110 is pulled in the outward direction in order to take out a food item stored in the lower refrigerating chamber 112 in order to put a food item in the lower refrigerating chamber 112, the basket 120 is slidably moved to be opened. After the food item is taken out of the basket 120 or the food item is put in the basket 120, when the lower door 110 is pushed in the inward direction, the basket 120 is slidably closed.
However, the related art refrigerator has the following problem. That is, is because the installation position of the basket is too low, a user must lower his/her posture, that is, for example, the user must bend his/her back or crouch down in order to put in or take out a food item from the basket, causing users' inconvenience.